вперед Россия!

Translated to English, the title of this post reads, "GO RUSSIA GO!"

Yes, to the chagrin of millions of heartbroken Team Canada fans who did not lose faith in their team even when the game was 6-1 before the epic rally of four goals in a span of just over four minutes, I did just say that I wish the Russians the best of luck against Sweden in the gold medal game on Thursday. It's not a matter of pride-swallowing. In fact, it's not necessarily a matter of wanting parity like I stated last year because Sweden has only won it once in 1981, but it's a matter of utilizing the transcending power of sport as a morale boosting tool.

Last year, Canadians were treated to one-sided rhetoric of hockey traditionalists who didn't like the extravagant celebrations as displayed by the Russians not unlike the controversy over Petr Mrazek, as seen in the following musing by Don Cherry:  “We went out in honour. Sorry to say, the Russian kids didn’t. They got drunk, got carried off the bus, got thrown off the plane. I can’t stand people who can’t stand liquor.”

This year, at least there's a different side presented, which unfortunately deals with the loss of life in the Lokomotiv Yaroslavl tragedy four months ago. Evgeny Kuznetsov may be widely hated by Canadian fans for his agitating antics and over-the-top displays of jubilation, but as the captain and only returning player from last year's roster, he stepped up tonight with a hat trick.

Off the ice, Kuznetsov has faced personal tragedies, with two of his teammates from last year's World Junior team, Danill Sobchenko and Yuri Urychev, killed in the Lokomotiv Yaroslavl tragedy and also with the death of his brother Alexander several years ago. Winning it all will not solve everything, but with stories like Kuznetsov's personal life, I find it difficult to not wish him glory.

Expanding from a mere functionalist perspective, the glory of winning in sports is not without its problems. It's very easy for the increasingly authoritative government figures like Vladimir Putin to use sports as a diversionary propaganda tool. Then again, I don't see why Russia can't do the same for a tournament that is nowhere as political or renowned as the Summit Series if the Green Bay Packers faithful can forget about the Super Bowl victory quickly and rise up in anger against Wisconsin politicians.

In terms of American politics, Rick Santorum and Mitt Romney are in their own epic match. I certainly don't want to imagine the Iran-bombing Santorum as President. I don't believe in fear-mongering unlike the same man I criticize, but under his potential administration, a nuclear war not unlike the brinkmanship climax of raging tensions in the Cold War beyond a hockey rivalry could develop.